Free PDF Poison Study (Study, Book 1), by Maria V. Snyder
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Poison Study (Study, Book 1), by Maria V. Snyder
Free PDF Poison Study (Study, Book 1), by Maria V. Snyder
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About the Author
Maria V. Snyder is the New York Times bestselling author of the Study series, the Glass series, the Healer series, Inside Out, and Outside In. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology from Penn State and a Master of Arts degree in fiction writing from Seton Hill University. Unable to part ways with Seton Hill, Maria is currently a teacher and mentor for the MFA program. Find her on the Web at MariaVSnyder.com.
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
L o c k e d i n d a r k n e s s that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories. Vivid recollections waited to ambush me whenever my mind wandered. Encompassed by the blackness, I remembered white-hot f lames stabbing at my face. Though my hands had been tied to a post that dug sharply into my back, I had recoiled from the onslaught. The fire had pulled away just before blistering my skin, but my eyebrows and eyelashes had long since been singed off. "Put the f lames out!" a man's rough voice had ordered. I blew at the blaze through cracked lips. Dried by fire and fear, the moisture in my mouth had gone and my teeth radiated heat as if they had been baked in an oven. "Idiot," he cursed. "Not with your mouth. Use your mind. Put the f lames out with your mind." Closing my eyes, I attempted to focus my thoughts on making the inferno disappear. I was willing to do anything, no matter how irrational, to persuade the man to stop. "Try harder." Once again the heat swung near my face, the bright light blinding me in spite of my closed eyelids. "Set her hair on fire," a different voice instructed. He sounded younger and more eager than the other man. "That should encourage her. Here, Father, let me." I twisted to loosen the bonds that held me as my thoughts scat-tered into a mindless buzzing. A droning noise had echoed from my throat and grew louder until it had pervaded the room and quenched the f lames. The loud metallic clank of the lock startled me from my nightmarish memory. A wedge of pale yellow light sliced the darkness, then traveled along the stone wall as the heavy cell door opened. Caught in the lantern's glow, my eyes were seared by the brightness. I squeezed them shut as I cowered in the corner. "Move it, rat, or we'll get the whip!" Two dungeon guards attached a chain to the metal collar on my neck and hauled me to my feet. I stumbled forward, pain blazing around my throat. As I stood on trembling legs, the guards efficiently chained my hands behind me and manacled my feet. I averted my eyes from the f lickering light as they led me down the main corridor of the dungeon. Thick rancid air puffed in my face. My bare feet shuff led through puddles of unidentifiable muck. Ignoring the calls and moans of the other prisoners, the guards never missed a step, but my heart lurched with every word. "Ho, ho, ho, someone's gonna swing." "Snap! Crack! Then your last meal slides down your legs!" "One less rat to feed." "Take me! Take me! I wanna die too!" We stopped. Through squinted eyes I saw a staircase. In an effort to get my foot onto the first step, I tripped over the chains and fell. The guards dragged me up. The rough edges of the stone steps dug into my skin, peeling away exposed f lesh on my arms and legs. After being pulled through two sets of thick metal doors, I was dumped onto the f loor. Sunlight stabbed between my eyes. I shut them tight as tears spilled down my cheeks. It was the first time that I had seen daylight in seasons. This is it, I thought, starting to panic. But the knowledge that my execution would end my miserable existence in the dungeon calmed me. Yanked to my feet again, I followed the guards blindly. My I stunk of rat. Given only a small ration of water, I didn't waste it on baths. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around. The walls were bare, without the fabled gold sconces and elaborate tapestries I had been told once decorated the castle's main hallways. The cold stone f loor was worn smooth in the middle. We were probably traveling along the hidden corridors used solely by the servants and guards. As we passed two open windows, I glanced out with a hunger that no food could satisfy. The bright emerald of the grass made my eyes ache. Trees wore cloaks of leaves. Flowers laced the footpaths and over-f lowed from barrels. The fresh breeze smelled like an expen-sive perfume, and I breathed deeply. After the acidic smells of a fine wine. Warmth caressed my skin. A soothing touch compared to the constantly damp and chilly dungeon. I guessed it was the beginning of the hot season, which meant that I had been locked in the cell for five seasons, one season shy of a full year. It seemed an excessively long time for someone scheduled for execution. Winded from the effort of marching with my feet chained, I was led into a spacious office. Maps of the Territory of Ixia and the lands beyond covered the walls. Piles of books on the f loor made walking a straight line difficult. Candles in various stages of use littered the room, singe marks evident on several papers that had gotten too close to the candle's f lame. A large wooden table, strewn with documents and ringed by half a dozen chairs, occupied the center of the room. At the back of the office a man sat at a desk. Behind him a square window gaped open, permitting a breeze to blow through his shoulder-length hair. I shuddered, causing the chains to clatter. From the whis-pered conversations between prison cells, I had determined that condemned prisoners were taken to an official to confess their crimes before being hanged. Wearing black pants and a black shirt with two red diamonds stitched on the collar, the man at the desk wore the uniform of an adviser to the Commander. His pallid face held no ex-pression. As his sapphire-blue eyes scanned me, they widened in surprise. Suddenly conscious of my appearance, I glanced down at my tattered red prison gown and dirty bare feet roughened with yellow calluses. Dirt-streaked skin showed through the rips in the thin fabric. My long black hair hung in greasy clumps. Sweat-soaked, I swayed under the weight of the chains. "A woman? The next prisoner to be executed is a woman?" executed aloud. The calm I'd established earlier f led me. I would have sunk sobbing to the f loor if the guards weren't with me. The guards tormented anyone who showed any weakness. The man tugged at the black ringlets of his hair. "I should have taken the time to reread your dossier." He shooed the guards away. "You're dismissed." When they were gone, he motioned me to the chair in front of his desk. The chains clanged as I perched on the edge. He opened a folder on his desk and scanned the pages. "Yelena, today may be your lucky day," he said. I swallowed a sarcastic reply. An important lesson I had mastered during my dungeon stay was never to talk back. I bowed my head instead, avoiding eye contact. The man was quiet for a while. "Well-behaved and respect-ful. You're starting to look like a good candidate." Despite the clutter of the room, the desk was neat. In addition to my folder and some writing implements, the only other items on the desk were two small, black statues glitter-ing with streaks of silver—a set of panthers carved to lifelike perfection. "You've been tried and found guilty of murdering General Brazell's only son, Reyad." He paused, stroking his temple with his fingers. "That explains why Brazell's here this week, and why he has been unusually interested in the execution schedule." The man spoke more to himself than to me. Upon hearing Brazell's name, fear coiled in my stomach. I steadied myself with a reminder that I was soon to be out of his reach forever. The Territory of Ixia's military had come to power only a gen-eration ago, but the rule had produced strict laws called the Code of Behavior. During peacetime—most of the time, strangely enough for the military—proper conduct didn't allow the taking of a human life. If someone committed murder, the punishment was execution. Self-preservation or an accidental death were not considered acceptable excuses. Once found guilty, the murderer was sent to the Commander's dungeon to await a public hanging. "I suppose you're going to protest the conviction. Say you were framed or you killed out of self-defense." He leaned back in his chair, waiting with a weary patience. "No, sir," I whispered, all I could manage from unused vocal cords. "I killed him." The man in black straightened in his chair, shooting me a hard look. Then he laughed aloud. "This may work out better than I'd planned. Yelena, I'm offering you a choice. You can either be executed, or you can be Commander Ambrose's new food taster. His last taster died recently, and we need to fill the position." I gaped at him, my heart dancing. He had to be joking. He was probably amusing himself. Great way to get a laugh. Watch hope and joy shine on the prisoner's face, then smash it by sending the accused to the noose. I played along. "A fool would refuse the job." My voice rasped louder this time. "Well, it's a lifetime position. The training can be lethal. After all, how can you identify poisons in the Commander's food if you don't know what they taste like?" He tidied the papers in the folder. "You'll get a room in the castle to sleep, but most of the day you'll be with the Commander. No days off. No husband or children. Some prisoners have chosen execution instead. At least then they know exactly when they're going to die, rather than guessing if it's going to come with the next bite." He clicked his teeth together, a feral grin on his face. Service to the Commander was better than the dungeon and infinitely better than the noose. Questions raced through my mind: I'm a convicted killer, how can they trust me? What would prevent me from killing the Commander or escaping? "Who tastes the Commander's food now?" I asked instead, afraid if I asked the other questions he'd realize his mistake and send me to the gallows. "I do. So I'm anxious to find a replacement. Also the Code of Behavior states that someone whose life is forfeit must be offered the job." No longer able to sit still, I stood and paced around the room, dragging my chains with me. The maps on the walls showed strategic military positions. Book titles dealt with security and spying techniques. The condition and amount of candles suggested someone who worked late into the night. I looked back at the man in the adviser's uniform. He had to be Valek, the Commander's personal security chief and leader of the vast intelligence network for the Territory of Ixia. "What shall I tell the executioner?" Valek asked. "I am not a fool."
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Product details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: MIRA (February 27, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780778324331
ISBN-13: 978-0778324331
ASIN: 0778324338
Product Dimensions:
5.1 x 1.1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.3 out of 5 stars
766 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#71,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
I'd give this 3 1/2 stars but I don't think that's possible for amazon right now. I'll try to be as vague with this review as I can so that people can read it before reading the book and still understand what's happening.Overall, I'd say it's a solid book and an enjoyable read. There were things I really liked about it and things that really bothered me as I read it. I doubt anyone would pick up this book and be mad they read it, unless darker and heavier subject matter doesn't sit well with you, in which case I would not recommend. Snyder does not shy away from some really intense subject matter that includes such triggers as torture, murder, rape, and mind control. Generally speaking, I think she deals with these issues as well as could be expected in a short, relatively fast-paced book.The good:The story itself is really interesting, with a unique plot, an interesting world, and characters that are not necessarily very complex but are also certainly interesting and generally not cliche. The scope of the story does not leave room for all characters to be explored and developed, but where developing happens it was done well.The biggest plus for this story is the way it deals with a transgender character, who is never identified as such given the setting of the story, but who, nonetheless, was born female and lives as a male. The author (and characters who discover the truth about the transgender character) handle this very well, always using the correct pronouns (he/him) even after the discovery and even, impressively, choose not to make a big deal out of it, but rather accept wholeheartedly that some people are just born in the wrong bodies. It was an interesting and wonderfully handled plot point that I applaud Snyder for.The not so good:The romance in this book was, at least at first, expertly handled as far as YA novels go. The build up of the attraction between the couple was slow and subtle, but obvious enough that the readers were aware that a relationship might be possible. However, once the book started towards its climax, this story line shifted into the far-too cliche, uninteresting world that most YA novels get stuck in where the main character needs to be told by other characters that her love interest has an obvious "thing" for her and then, at the least oppurtune moment when it barely makes sense for the plot and actually takes away from the action, the relationship begins and shifts from, "I have feelings for you" to sex to declarations of love in exctly two pages, which felt rushed and forced and was extremely disapppointing given how well the initial build up was orchestrated.The dialogue also left far too much to be desired in this novel, with all characters speaking in generally the same manner, using the same vocabulary, and saying the same sorts of things, no matter their walk of life or purpose. Too much of the plot was delivered through dialogue, as almost every explanation about anything important came from a conversation and usually in a way that didn't make sense. Characters in this story were WAY too willing to answer the "why" with a super long and involved and way too real explanation that, more often than not, just felt forced and wrong. Why would a stranger tell someone they just met absolutely everything important that they know? It didn't work for me, and the preveleance of this kind of dialogue made it really hard to distinguish personalities among the more minor characters who don't get a lot of development. Anything unique about them was attached to them by the narrator, who had to add on personality descriptors to every chracter since the author failed to give them distincit personalities by their speech or actions.Again, overall, an enjoyable read, but one that was certainly flawed and does not stand out to me as a particularly well-written piece. I will probably read the sequels, but I'm not dying to, which is always a sign to me than an author hasn't quite delivered.
The GoodJessica over at A Great Read has been telling me to read this since I started blogging years ago.I should've listened sooner. So good. OK let's walk through all the points that make this story great. The plot line is about a girl, Yelena, who kills her abuser. Yeah girl! I'm immediately rallying behind her. She is put on death row and about to pay for her crime when the assassin, Valek, offers her the chance to become the food taster of the Commander. Ten points already for being an assassin. And steamy. Then we have the setting of Ixia which is divided by eight districts and govered by generals under the Commander's rule. Magic is not allowed in this world, and only in Sitia can magic run free.The journey through the story was so entertaining. Yelena trains with Valek to learn poisons and hopefully not die. Meanwhile, she works on self defense with two great side characters Janco and Ari. She runs into people that she shouldn't trust but does, and people she should trust but doesn't. There is mind control, hiding in trees, fire dancing, and an awesome library. Yelena doesn't start out very strong at all, as a character she is weak but smart. However, by the end I wouldn't mess with her.The BadThere may have been flaws, but I just didn't see them.The RomanceNow here we have quite a slow burn romance, and let me say that Valek is a favorite character of mine so I enjoy this pairing quite a lot. However, when the romance happens, it's like YEAH NOW. I was left wondering where on earth that whole middle portion went. Not that I'm complaining too much because of the story there wasn't much romance in it to begin with.ConclusionThere's a mo bad heroine, hunky assassin, magic, kingdoms, tree jumping, trust issues, and some truly terrible bad guys. I loved reading this story. There was quite a bit of action and the plot was thoroughly entertaining. I came to love the main characters as well as some amazing side characters. Recommended.
This book has an excellent start. The first 80% of the book features layers and layers of mystery. It begins with - as the product summary discloses - the questions of why the MC killed her former overseer's son and whether she understands that she is using magic. These mysteries are soon expanded on (mild spoilers): Why was her former overseer trying to create magicians? Will she be able to master her magic power before someone kills her for it? Will she tell the her new boss/mentor/love interest (who is also the ruler's spymaster) the truth about what her former overseer is doing? These mysteries, in turn, gain more layers: What is the role of the foreign magicians? Is the spymaster a villain or a hero? Why is her former overseer sending exotic candy to the ruler?Each of these questions draws the reader in and keeps the reader engaged. Each answer is incomplete and deepens the mystery. It's a great read.Then, suddenly, in the last few chapters the book, the author answers everything - neatly, conveniently, and unexcitingly. Major spoilers: the MC confesses everything to her mentor. He believes and accepts everything without qualm. The foreign magicians go from possible assassins to friends and helpers. The purpose of the candy is disclosed. The former overseer is brought to justice. Some friends are injured but they all heal. The ruler rewards the MC for her loyalty. The MC and her mentor declare their love for each other. The end. It's like a YA book. (Or like the author realized that she couldn't complete this book in the required length without hurrying things along.)It's quite disappointing and ruined any interest I had in the sequel.
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